Standing Over Shadows
by Bastova
Summary: Yuugi's in love, Atemu's in denial, and Anzu is fighting for her relationship with them both. Aside from their twisted love triangle, throw in some old skeletons from the closet and you have yourself something to write about! WARNINGS: Possible Shonen-ai/Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

_~The Situation~_

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_~Flashback~_

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_Hands lifted to rest across the rising sun through the window pane, casting a shadow across an ambiguous face. As the rays of dawn shined forth, filtering the small room with its brilliance, the shadows slowly crept away. The cover of black seemingly retracting to hide in the cracks and crevices of the room's most unattainable places._

_The contrast of the dark and light danced on through the room as if it were putting on a show just for him, the ambiguous face mused as his shadow of a head rolled almost lazily forward to follow the fading darkness._

_"I wonder if all I ever do is chase you away?"_

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~Present Day~

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The crisp, autumn air whistled passed his ears, slowly being caught up in the fray of people as the activities of their night went on. And so, the young man walked about, the chilled air momentarily giving his body a soothing jolt to his senses as he made his way aimlessly through the streets of Domino City. A year or so ago, Yuugi wouldn't have even thought twice about leaving his house in the late evening. But, after his much-needed growth spurt that shot him up to a fairly average height he felt more able to be more reckless.

Yuugi frowned, suddenly remembering why he was running the town anyway.

The reason for his bouts of wanderings as of late were quite related to his slightly strained relationship with his yami, it had got more difficult with the other so near, it nearly drove the hikari insane with anxiety. With all that happend with him and Atemu weeks before, Yuugi remembered with a grimace, things hadn't been the same since.

The air around him and his darkness had become a heavy load, the other barely even capable with making eye contact without flinching. And things were only getting more tense between them. It's amazing how much you can really say without saying much at all. And for Yuugi, his darkness' silences were just as loud as if he had screamed the declaration out loud. He sort of expected it, though, with all that had happend. But Yuugi had to admit, it still hurt as he was thusly ignored by his other half.

It was his own fault, the hikari quickly conceded.

Forcing your affections on another who doesn't return, nor understand your love is never a happy ending.

_"I shot everything straight to hell, but even still, it wasn't that big of a deal... was it?" _Yuugi tried to shake his thoughts of the event several weeks before.

_"If it wasn't such a big deal wouldn't you be with your precious__ Atemu now," _Clenching his eyes shut, Yuugi tried to shut out the ever so taunting voice in his head as well as the tears swelling up beneath his eyelids_,"Why do I need him like that, dammit."_

Yuugi's very soul ached with longing for his other half... ever since they separated, it's been this way. And for the life of him, he couldn't stop his heart from racing when he saw Yami, or how he couldn't keep himself from staring when he was in the same room.

He was ifatuated with him... Yami.

With a sigh, Yuugi veered to his left, suddenly making a hasty decision from recognizing the familiar street before coming to a stop in front of an equally familiar doorstep. Lightly knocking on the front door, Yuugi waited. After hearing a few fumbles and the sound of feet hitting the floor, the door opened, revealing a young, dainty-looking teenaged girl with russet colored tresses and deep, ocean blue eyes, her lightly glossy lips parting soundlessly in what the boy supposed to be surprise.

"Yuugi-kun, is that you?" Looking up sharply, the hikari stared into the eyes of his friend, Anzu Masaki, who peered back at him in slight bewilderment, "W-what are you doing here Yuugi-kun?"

"Ah, if you got a minute, Anzu-chan,"Rubbing the nape of his neck in a nervous way, Yuugi smiled, slightly embarassed,"I promise to explain myself."

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_~Flashback~_

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_His skin was hot and clammy, his breathing labored, even though his mind was giving him reason after reason as to why he shouldn't be doing this, his body wouldn't listen. Rising from his futon, Yuugi ambled his way over to the body of his sleeping yami who was just a couple of feet from him. Falling to his knees, Yuugi's eyes roved over his other's form hungrily, his body reacting at the mere sight of his secretly coveted darkness. _

_With a shaky breath and a swallowed sigh, Yuugi finally found the nerve to let his hand gently trace over the other boy's face before letting it caress its way down to Atemu's collarbone as it subtlety protruded through the opening of his night-shirt._

_Without really thinking about it, Yuugi lowered his lips to faintly brush underneath Yami's ear, reveling in the feel of the other's smooth skin. Slightly pulling away, Yuugi licked his lips, and with a slight groan, he leaned in for another taste, pressing his lips and tongue against the side of the Yami's neck as he gently nipped and sucked on the tender skin with his teeth._

_With a startled gasp, blood-colored eyes shot open in alarm, his hand reaching out and grabbing his assailant's mane as he savagely ripped they're head away from his neck before pulling himself up and throwing the other to the floor and pinning them there. And just as Atemu was about to land the first blow, a familiar voice in his head stopped him dead._

**_"Atemu, please, wait!"_**_ Leaping away from the prone body that lay underneath him, the former pharaoh let the name of his other half pass though his lips faintly in a light gasp as he stared numbly at his attacker, his hikari. Not either of them said a word for a very long time, instead, they just looked at each other apprehensively, not exactly sure on what to say or do._

_Shifting himself in a more comfortable position than laying on his back, Yuugi settled himself cross-legged in front of his dark, gently probing the other's mind through their link, trying to initiate a response. And so, a response that was quickly received._

_"What... what do you think you a doing, Yuugi," The said boy flinched, not being able to look at the other in the eye, instead he hid his eyes from view beneath a curtain of blonde,"I... I just wanted to see what it would be like to touch you like that."_

_"Why? Why would want to do something like that?" Came the hushed, biting reply from Atemu as he grabbed at Yuugi's face, causing him to flinch as he was forced to look up into the slightly disconcerted and put out expression of the other male. The boy tried to turn his face away, only for the already tight grip tighten and angle his head higher to meet the other's hardened features,"...tell me, Yuugi. I can't fix this if you don't."_

_"What's there to fix?!" Yuugi snapped,"...are you saying there's something wrong with it?"_

_"Yes." At the reply of his yami, Yuugi let out a choked whimper as he bit his lip to keep from crying out any further. Grabbing a hold of Atemu's wrist, the hikari swiftly pulled out of the other's grasp, turning his face to the side so the tears prickling the corner of his eyes wouldn't be seen._

_"I just wanted to see what it would be like to be with the one I loved the most..." was the meek reply as Yuugi looked into his other's eyes pleadingly, searching for a reciprocation of feelings. But, instead, he was met with a stony, guarded expression before he watched his other self slowly rise and walk past him, and without another word spoken, Atemu disappeared out the door and down the hall._

_Leaving his devastated hikari weeping pathetically after him._

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_~Flashback End~_

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The hooded expression that he was met with by his usually helpful friend made him anxious, the situation he explained of him and Yami must have been a real shock to her, Yuugi concluded. But after such a prolonged silence from his usually chatty friend, he started to get worried. Tentatively, the young man reached out to grasp his friend's shoulder, give her a light shake,"Oi, Anzu-ch-"

"Shut up!" Shoving his hand away, Anzu's lips quivered, her hands fisting together as she looked at Yuugi with contempt.

More than a little alarmed at Anzu's sudden change in character, he tried to speak but failed as she intercepted him once more,"How could you do that to Atemu-kun and I?" I thought you were my friend? Yuugi, we're... we are..."

"Anzu, I am your friend! Why wouldn't I?" Yuugi confirmed, slightly panicking as Anzu only grew more upset, tears falling from her big blue eyes and trailing down her cheeks. Not being able to sit still, Yuugi walk over to the shaken and crying girl who had jumped up out of her seat after her outburst,"...and what about Atemu and you, Anzu? You are...? You are what?"

It suddenly clicked, Yuugi backed away from Anzu in his shock, "Oh... oh, Anzu, I had no idea!"

The girl scoffed, wiping the tears off her face, looking bitter,"...you weren't suppose to, Atem-kun wanted to keep it secret till' it was the right time to break it to everybody."

There was a pregnant pause," ...please... please, Yuugi-kun..."

Yugi looked up, slightly shocked to hear his friend plead with him looking and sounding so broken and desperate,"...please, Yuugi-kun, please...don't ruin us -me and Atemu-kun, please! ...we love eachother."

Yuugi's heart stopped, oddly enough, he didn't feel a single thing

_"...me and Atemu-kun... we love each other."_

Not a damn thing at all.

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_~End~_

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**AU: **Hi, this is one of my first fanfictions. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my story! I'm sorry for writing such short chapters, I tend to get real hurried if I write too long of a chapter, even though, personally I like reading long chapters. I guess I'll have to work on that! I'm just going with the flow of what's swimming in my head, If I'm lucky I'll be updating at a regular pace, though I can't promise anything! Well anyway, thank you for reading, hope you enoyed it! :)


	2. Standing Over Shadows: Chapter 2

_Ka is the p__hysical manifestation of the spirit, energy, or vital spark that is provided by Ba (the essence of a soul)._

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_~Ka and Ba~_

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_"It's been a month since I have had a full meal. And yet, I have no desire to eat at all..."_

With drooping eyes, the boy stared out the window of the ever so popular Burger World, his stomach dropping uneasily at the smell of food, obviously upset.

For days on end its been this way, and he resented every minute of it. The boy hated feeling so empty like this, as if his stomach turned into an eternal void of nothingness. Subconsiously, Yuugi ran a hand down his thinning frame, wincing lightly as a hollow feeling passed through his tummy at the slight pressure of his fingers.

These days, he suffered from irregular bouts of no eating, his energy slowly depleting because of it, rendering him more fatigued and weak with each passing day. His friends were noticing too. Yuugi wasn't stupid, he caught on to the ever so subtle looks sent his way by his friends. They seemed almost afraid to come near him now, the only one who was still remotely comfortable still with him was Jounouchi, and even that was a bit of a stretch.

But even yet, it wasn't so impossible given the present situation.

"Hey Yuug',"A voice called out across from him, a gentle weight of a hand resting on his shoulder,"...what's you supposin' on eatin'?"

Yuugi broke out of his line of thought, looking up into the warm, brown eyes of his friend, Jou, who stared at him in an imploring way, his eyebrows rose in an expectant manner as the said boy shoved something in his face. With a small shake of his head, Yuugi refused the menu that was held out for him.

Ah, that's right. He wasn't suppose to be thinking about this now. He needed to be enjoying this time with his best friend. Though, in the back of the hikari's mind, something nawed at him about this not just being a 'catching up' sort of rondevue.

Yuugi fought a grin, ignoring his paranoia so as to not let it ruin this time he had with his good- no, best friend. It's been too long since he'd seen Jounouchi anyway, and he wasn't about to let his suspicions ruin it. The two hadn't been able to hang out as much these days due to ones daily lives as of late. And Yuugi had to admit, it was getting pretty lonely without Yami around as much. After the whole fiasco with Anzu, his other had gotten the whole group together before breaking the news about them. Him and Anzu_. _Together.

It wasn't one of the best nights for the young hikari. But it wasn't like any other night, either. He just sat up in his room playing puzzles and games.

Like before.

"Come on, man, you gotta eat _something, _yeah?" Came the slightly irritated reply before a pregnant pause ensued, enveloping the two in a temporary silence, save for the minor background noise.

Clearing his throat, Jou to start back up again.

Only this time, in a much more defeated tone,"...will you at least tell me what's wrong? I can't help you any if you don't."

Yuugi bit his lip, contemplating, _"He would only worry himself silly if I told some of the things I've been feeling lately. I can't tell him, or anyone for that matter until I know exactly what's wrong."_

"Seriously, Jou," Yuugi smiled disarmingly, trying to appease his worried friend,"...its nothing."

At this, Jounouchi scowled, his jaw setting tightly in apparent displeasure at Yuugi's words,"You're lying, Yuug'."

_"Crap,"_ Yuugi internally panicked, now he's in for it! He should've never tried to beguile his way out of this conversation!

"Tell me what's going on. Now," The blonde's tone left no room for argument.

But, even still, Jounouchi was only met with silence.

"Dammit Yuugi,"He exclaimed in exasperation," ...just cause' you're damn pharaoh isn't here to coddle ya' anymore doesn't mean you can just wallow in your misery and not give a shit about anyone else, you know that, right? It's like your obsessed or something! And it's just not me, okay? Everyones thinking it."

Rising from his chair, the blonde glared down at his best friend,"Look,"Jonouchi bit out,"...it's time you let the pharaoh go. Let him live his life, he's not your property and your not his, you guys are two separate beings now. Don't be so selfish to rob him of it. You know that he'd do anything for you, Yuug', even if it meant giving up something he really, really loves... and that's Anzu."

Something inside of Yuugi went cold, sending chills through his entire body. The boy stiffened as it then, slowly, coiled up into his tightening chest cavity before sharply twisting further upwards in a somewhat painful motion before spreading all over. As he started to sweat, Yuugi tried to ignore the pain as best as he could by keeping his eyes focused on the disgruntled blonde, who seemed to be somewhat discouraged by the other teenager's ongoing silence.

Jounouchi eventually sat back down, shoulders slumping in what seemed like defeat as he gazed back at his friend sorrowfully,"...he's worried about you, Yuug', and so is Anzu. They asked me to come and talk to you. I know what's going down, I've been there before, believe me. It's hard to let go of something... something that you love so much. But, it's time to move on, man."

The speech was over, but Yuugi was still trying to reign in his bearings as the pain increased in his heart and body. After minutes of silence, Yuugi finally gained enough soundness to speak,"You don't,"his voice cracked with thick emotion and physical strain,"...you don't understand, Jou, it's more than that. More that you could ever know..."

The hollow feeling was spreading, all over. His stomache, chest, throat, back- his breathing coming out in erratic bursts, it was suffocating him.

_"Wait," _The hikari's eyes widened in panic,_"...there is something seriously wrong with me."_

Rather hastily, Yuugi slipped out of the booth,_"...I need to get out of here before it gets worse!"_

Thinking fast, Yuugi called out from over his shoulder as he made he way the the exit of the diner,"Ah, Jou, I think... uh, I think I forgot- I was supposed to take care of the Kame Game shop this morning. If I don't go now, Jii-chan's gonna kill me. So, if you don't mind-"

Jounouchi blinked, mildly confused at his companion's abrupt departure, but before he could gather his wits and form a reply, the young boy had already made it out the doors.

Damn.

Yuugi ran fast and he ran hard.

Pushing his legs to the very limit still wasn't going to be enough, though. And the hikari knew it, he wasn't going to be able to make it home like this. Gasping for air, the boy was overwhelmed by the searing pain shooting through his body, almost as if every muscle on the inside of him lit itself aflame. Never, never ever had Yuugi felt like this in his life, and it scared him.

"No," The boy wheezed out between breaths as he came down from his adrenaline induced run, his body becoming more sluggish,"...I have to get home, cause if I don't... i-if I don't...I..."

Eventually, the boy staggered to a stop, not even to bother looking around to know where he was as he fell into a heap on the ground, unconscious even before his head hit the cold pavement.

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_Ba-dump_

_Ba-dump_

_Ba-dump_

_Ba-dump..._

The faint sounding heartbeat was oddly a comforting thing to hear as he awoke. Remembering what happened, he thanked whatever god was looking out for him from above.

_"For a minute there," _The boy sighed, his eyes still closed_,"...I was pretty sure it was going to be the end of me."_

Reaching out to rub a peculiar stiffness out of his face, the boy suddenly hissed, jerking his hands away from his cheek. The young man's eyes popped open, a disturbed frown marring his youthful features before he cupped his hands over his face again, flinching at the skin-to-skin contact,"Why am I so cold?"

Wait, the boy's mouth fell open, his body breaking into a sweat. Pulling his palm away from his face, his eyes zeroed in on the trembling appendage in front of him.

The top of his hand was tinged blue, his fingernails blackened from something, truth be told, he didn't want to know from. An inkling of dread and longing attacked the young boy as he desperately wished to be home; safe, in his bed.

Then, suddenly, the young man had the urge to look around. Rising to his feet, the hikari quickly found himself quickly losing his balance as something shifted restlessly beneath his feet. Grabbing a fistful of the stuff, Yuugi recognized the gritty feeling slipping seamlessly through the crack of his fingers,"...it's sand," he muttered,"...but, how is that even possible?"

His question was left unanswered.

Suddenly, the ground underneath his feet started to rumble, the winds ripping and roaring like madness, whipping around him in a torrent of chaos. A loud roar struck out over the land, the low moan of the aggressive winds dying down, being firmly subdued by the voice that was even more louder and petrifying as they were. Standing on shaken legs, Yuugi double over, tears falling from his eyes as he covered his hands over his ears in a vain attempt to deafen the horrid sounding voice as it boomed like a thunder.

"Nephthys! How could you," A deep, guttural voice snarled, outraged,"...this is a high crime against the gods! How could you do this!"

At the loud, echoing roar, Yuugi cried out in fear, his legs freezing up and buckling underneath him. But, just as he was about to hit the ground, strong, slender arms wound themselves tight around his upper-torso, pulling his trembling frame to their soft, curved body. The boy sucked in a sharp breath, but stayed stock still, fearing what may happen if he tried to resist.

"Nehebkau, please," The voice poured out like sweet nectar into his ears, his heavy spirit lightening,"...please help me save him. I beg of you."

There was a moment of silence, then-

"Boy," The demonic voice murmured, it's proximity so close that its rancid breath breathed upon his face, smelling like decomposing, rotting bodies,"...do you know why you are here?"

He didn't intend to raise his head up, but when the hikari did he almost cried out yet again,"No," he all but whimpered, trying to worm his way out of the strong embrace as he stared into the face of a two-headed snake, it's beady eyes finding their way to his, glaring into his very soul.

Then, just like before, it hissed lowly, right into his ear,"...your soul is dying, but I am here to preserve it."

But Yuugi tried to shrink away from him, panicked. Crying out again, he continued to struggle away from the steadfast embrace that held him,"...what are you talking about? I'm not dying! This is a trick, let me go!"

"Stop squirming boy before I send you to the into the very abyss of the underworld," The snake roared causing the boy to quake violently, before obediently yielding his body, falling limp under his captor's hold- a woman, Yuugi deduced shakily, although too afraid to look at the said woman to confirm his assumption as he feared the worst if he did so.

"Calm down, young one, we are here to help you," The voice paused momentarily in a meaningful silence before finishing,"...not harm,"

That sweet, enchanted sounding voice whispered quietly, in a somewhat mothering way. And without even realizing it, Yuugi's tightened and stiff body went lax under the woman's chiming voice as it dulled his senses slightly, his captor's melodic sound still humming in his head. Then, he noted, alarmed as his senses started up again, her voice again said something he couldn't quite catch.

Then, the woman pressed her body more intimately to his, nuzzling him against her bosom as she cradled him like a mother to her child. Eyeing the unnaturally tall, limber figure of the woman holding him, she also gazed down at him with eerie, vermillion eyes. The first thing he noticed was her skin; with its being quite similar to his own at the moment, pigmented blue- no, he corrected himself with a shiver, midnight blue skin. Vaguely, it uncannily reminded him of the evening sky as it tapered off into the black of night, while her flowing obsidian stresses aligned with golden beads glittered in the swallows of darkness floating around them, resembling shining stars twinkling in the far distance of the eventide.

"...what did you mean before," Yuugi trailed off, surprising even himself as he spoke with a surprising neutral voice. Fear, then, curled in the pit of his stomach, the boy absently wondering if he'll regret opening his mouth in the first place,"...about my soul dying?"

"It's called Ka and Ba," The voice of the two-headed beast sounded from the unearthly silence, seemingly more docile then before,"...it's what makes up your soul. It's what is keeping you alive in _that_ mortal body."

Yuugi flinched, hearing the apparent disdain in the reptile's tone, but listened on none the less. Figuring this was something he needed to hear.

"...you're soul has been split in half, due to the former pharaoh's resurrected physical body," The snake sneered at his yami's name, hissing,"...and due to part of your soul being incomplete, it is withering you away physically not having enough of either Ka or Ba to sustain you."

The boy's fell open as he tried to process the new information. Taking advantage of the mortal's silence, the demon-snake thing continued,"...the only reason the pharaoh lives on is because, somehow, the magic of the Millenium Puzzle is keeping his Ka and Ba thriving. And as for the Thief King's and his pet mortal's existence is something I do not know. But, if I had to guess, I suppose it would have to do with the nature of they're relationship. As it should be, yami and hikari relationships are expected to go beyond a regular bond than that of normal humans' experience in their wasteful longevity of life."

"But as I have said before," The beast stressed, eyeing the now despairing boy with distaste,"...I am here to preserve your life. Not take it... unfortunately."

"...how?" Yuugi whispered brokenly, his empty eyes gazing into the slitted irises of the Guardian of Duat; Nehebkau.

The snake replied with an amused, condescending hiss,"Wouldn't you like to know..."

Then, the hikari's world went black.

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_~End~_

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I am at my end, for now. I'm sorta surprised how long I've made the chapter this time! I'm glad! :) Wooh! I'll try to update as soon as I can! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Additional Info:**

Nephthys - A Goddess of the Heliopolitan Eannead. She is the sister of Isis and the companion of the war-like deity, Set. She also, most often symbolizes the death experience and is very well-known for her protective nature as well as with divine assistance.

Nehebkau - Was originally being the cause for being the explanation of the cause of binding of Ka and Ba after death. Since these aspects of the soul were said to bind after death, it is also said that Nehebkau was also known to be the guardian of Duat, the underworld.

**(Sources): **

Wikipedia


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